Return to Paradise 1998
6.9 / 10
Return to Paradise
Lewis, Sheriff and Tony are three friends vacationing in Malaysia. Sheriff and Tony eventually leave to pursue careers in New York, but Lewis stays behind to work with orangutans. Two years later, Sheriff and Tony learn that, because of their past actions, Lewis has been arrested for drug possession. With Lewis facing a death sentence, the friends are left with a difficult decision: return to Malaysia and split Lewis' sentence, or let him die.
Lewis, Sheriff and Tony are three friends vacationing in Malaysia. Sheriff and Tony eventually leave to pursue careers in New York, but Lewis stays behind to work with orangutans. Two years later, Sheriff and Tony learn that, because of their past actions, Lewis has been arrested for drug possession. With Lewis facing a death sentence, the friends are left with a difficult decision: return to Malaysia and split Lewis' sentence, or let him die.
Videos & Photos
All 2 Videos & 13 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... John 'Sheriff' Volgecherev
... Beth Eastern
... Lewis McBride
... Tony Croft
... M.J. Major
... Kerrie
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews15 Jan 2022 by Wuchak
_**Great moral conundrum and message, but too contrived**_ "Return to Paradise" (1998) is about three Americans in Malaysia. Two of them are friends from New York City (Vincent Vaughn and David Conrad) and the other they meet there, an environmental-hippie type (Joaquin Phoenix). The three have a great time partying together and then the two from New York go back to the grind in the USA. Two years later they find out that their friend in Malaysia has been in prison for having too much hashish, which the three purchased together. Due to the country's severe drug laws, those considered traffickers are put to death and, unfortunately, the hippie possessed beyond the limit. He'll hang in eight days unless the other two go back and they'll all get 3 years in prison; if only one goes back it's 6 years each. Will they go back? That's the set-up of the film and it's not a spoiler since this all unfolds in the first 20 minutes, which means that most of the rest of the movie takes place in New York and focuses on whether or not the other two will go back and save their friend. Keep in mind that this was a dude they met in Malaysia so it's not like they were bosom buddies from their youth or anything. The trailer of "Return to Paradise" miss-advertised the film as a thriller largely taking place in exotic SE Asia, but that's not the case. This is a drama that involves a moral conundrum, a Christ figure and possible redemption. The story concentrates on Vaughn and Anne Heche, the latter as the lawyer of the hippie who tries to convince the other two to go back to save their friend. Complicating the situation even further is the fact that there are no legal documents involved since Malaysia is a third world country and, as such, there's no guarantee that the two will "only" get three years. And what about the other potential negative possibilities, like never making it out of the hellhole alive? This is a top of the line film and the producers went all-out to serve up a quality picture; for instance, the Malaysian prison scenes are very convincing. Also, the actors are great across the board and Vaughn proves that he can nail a dramatic role. Moreover the moral is to die for, no pun intended. Unfortunately the actors are strapped to the contrivances of the plot and I had a hard time seeing them as real people in a real situation. In other words, it seemed like the characters do this-or-that merely because the screenplay says he or she is supposed to do this-or-that at that moment. And so I was never really able to embrace them as real people, but rather as puppets manipulated by the script. Still, it's not bad and it's worth catching if you like the actors and the story trips your trigger. The film runs 111 minutes and was shot in New York City, Thailand, New Jersey, Philadelphia and China. GRADE: C+
Release Date:
Aug 10, 1998 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 49`
MMPA Rating:
R
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Return to Paradise
_**Great moral conundrum and message, but too contrived**_ "Return to Paradise" (1998) is about three Americans in Malaysia. Two of them are friends from New York City (Vincent Vaughn and David Conrad) and the other they meet there, an environmental-hippie type (Joaquin Phoenix). The three have a great time partying together and then the two from New York go back to the grind in the USA. Two years later they find out that their friend in Malaysia has been in prison for having too much hashish, which the three purchased together. Due to the country's severe drug laws, those considered traffickers are put to death and, unfortunately, the hippie possessed beyond the limit. He'll hang in eight days unless the other two go back and they'll all get 3 years in prison; if only one goes back it's 6 years each. Will they go back? That's the set-up of the film and it's not a spoiler since this all unfolds in the first 20 minutes, which means that most of the rest of the movie takes place in New York and focuses on whether or not the other two will go back and save their friend. Keep in mind that this was a dude they met in Malaysia so it's not like they were bosom buddies from their youth or anything. The trailer of "Return to Paradise" miss-advertised the film as a thriller largely taking place in exotic SE Asia, but that's not the case. This is a drama that involves a moral conundrum, a Christ figure and possible redemption. The story concentrates on Vaughn and Anne Heche, the latter as the lawyer of the hippie who tries to convince the other two to go back to save their friend. Complicating the situation even further is the fact that there are no legal documents involved since Malaysia is a third world country and, as such, there's no guarantee that the two will "only" get three years. And what about the other potential negative possibilities, like never making it out of the hellhole alive? This is a top of the line film and the producers went all-out to serve up a quality picture; for instance, the Malaysian prison scenes are very convincing. Also, the actors are great across the board and Vaughn proves that he can nail a dramatic role. Moreover the moral is to die for, no pun intended. Unfortunately the actors are strapped to the contrivances of the plot and I had a hard time seeing them as real people in a real situation. In other words, it seemed like the characters do this-or-that merely because the screenplay says he or she is supposed to do this-or-that at that moment. And so I was never really able to embrace them as real people, but rather as puppets manipulated by the script. Still, it's not bad and it's worth catching if you like the actors and the story trips your trigger. The film runs 111 minutes and was shot in New York City, Thailand, New Jersey, Philadelphia and China. GRADE: C+
Cast & Crew of
Return to Paradise
Directors & Credit Writers
Cast
... John 'Sheriff' Volgecherev
... Beth Eastern
... Lewis McBride
... Tony Croft
... M.J. Major
... Kerrie
... Ravitch
... Gaby
ML
Ming Lee... Mr. Chandran
... Mr. Doramin
... Prosecutor
... Famous Divorce Lawyer
... Young Woman in Limo
... Woman in Bar
... Construction Foreman
AW
Amy Wong... Ticket Agent
II
Is Issariya... Malaysian Woman in Hammock
EH
Ed Hodson... Features Editor
... Doorman #1
... Doorman #2
Produced By
... Executive Producer
... Assistant Production Manager
... Producer
Videos & Photos of
Return to Paradise
Videos ( 2)
Photos ( 13 )
Related Movies To
Return to Paradise
Kraven the Hunter (2024)
0 /10
Kraven Kravinoff's complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Run Time: 2hr 7` . MMPA: R . Release: 11 Dec 2024
Director: Andrea Trigo , Dani Watson , Carley Armstrong
Producer: Avi Arad , Chloe Gonzalez , Nicola Chisholm
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Russell Crowe , Ariana DeBose , Fred Hechinger , Alessandro Nivola , Christopher Abbott
Gladiator II (2024)
0 /10
Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Run Time: 2hr 28` . MMPA: R / PG-13 . Release: 05 Nov 2024
Director: Tarik Ait Ben Ali , Conor Flannery , Vanluke Watson
Producer: Johnny Hopkins , Douglas Wick , Darren Chesney
Stars: Paul Mescal , Fred Hechinger , Denzel Washington , Connie Nielsen , Joseph Quinn , Pedro Pascal
Wicked (2024)
0 /10
In the land of Oz, ostracized and misunderstood green-skinned Elphaba is forced to share a room with the popular aristocrat Glinda at Shiz University, and the two's unlikely friendship is tested as they begin to fulfill their respective destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Run Time: 2hr 42` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Nov 2024
Director: Lisa Vick , Jon M. Chu
Producer: Dana Fox , Lisa Latter , Dana Gaier
Stars: Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Jonathan Bailey , Jeff Goldblum , Michelle Yeoh , Ethan Slater
Werewolves (2024)
0 /10
A year after a supermoon’s light activated a dormant gene, transforming humans into bloodthirsty werewolves and causing nearly a billion deaths, the nightmare resurfaces as the supermoon rises again. Two scientists attempt to stop the mutation but fail and must now struggle to reach one of their family homes.
Run Time: 1hr 34` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Dec 2024
Director: Steven C. Miller
Producer: Sevier Crespo , Luis R. Estrella-Rivera , Jimmy Cummings
Stars: Frank Grillo , Katrina Law , Ilfenesh Hadera , Sam Daly , James Kyson , Lou Diamond Phillips
Dirty Angels (2024)
0 /10
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Run Time: 1hr 44` . MMPA: R . Release: 11 Dec 2024
Director: Jamie Marshall , Teodora Petrova , Antony Tanev
Producer: Avi Lerner , Rob Van Norden , Les Weldon
Stars: Eva Green , Ruby Rose , Maria Bakalova , Reza Brojerdi , Christopher Backus , Jojo T. Gibbs
Elevation (2024)
0 /10
A single father and two women venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy.
Run Time: 1hr 31` . MMPA: R . Release: 07 Nov 2024
Director: George Nolfi
Producer: Michael Bowman , Jeremy Kipp Walker , Alex Black
Stars: Anthony Mackie , Morena Baccarin , Maddie Hasson , Danny Boyd Jr. , Rachel Nicks , Shauna Earp
Aftermath (2024)
0 /10
A returning war veteran, stricken with PTSD, gets trapped with his teenage sister on Boston's Tobin Memorial Bridge when a heavily armed group of ex-military revolutionaries take everyone hostage.
Run Time: 1hr 35` . MMPA: R . Release: 27 Sep 2024
Director: Patrick Lussier
Producer: Timothy C. Sullivan , Jonathan Deckter , Nancy Nayor
Stars: Mason Gooding , Dylan Sprouse , Dichen Lachman , Megan Stott , Kevin Chapman , Will Lyman
Nosferatu (2024)
0 /10
A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 25 Dec 2024
Director: Josh Robertson , Jan Cajzl , Giulia Patanè
Producer: Eleanor Columbus , Bernard Bellew , Marie Veverková
Stars: Bill Skarsgård , Lily-Rose Depp , Nicholas Hoult , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Emma Corrin , Willem Dafoe
Heretic (2024)
0 /10
Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Run Time: 1hr 51` . MMPA: R . Release: 31 Oct 2024
Director: Bryan Woods , Richard Cowan , Scott Beck
Producer: Stacey Sher , Liliane Bedford , Scott Beck
Stars: Chloe East , Hugh Grant , Sophie Thatcher , Elle McKinnon , Topher Grace , Steven Seagal
Carry-On (2024)
0 /10
An airport security officer races to outsmart a mysterious traveler forcing him to let a dangerous item slip onto a Christmas Eve flight.
Run Time: 2hr . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 05 Dec 2024
Director: Riley Flanagan , Josh Stephenson , Kevin O'Neill
Producer: Emma Louise Patterson , Seth William Meier , Scout Winn-Borges
Stars: Taron Egerton , Jason Bateman , Sofia Carson , Dean Norris , Danielle Deadwyler , Theo Rossi
Memoir of a Snail (2024)
0 /10
Forcibly separated from her twin brother when they are orphaned, a melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of misfortunes and everyday life.
Run Time: 1hr 34` . MMPA: R . Release: 17 Oct 2024
Director: Adam Elliot
Producer: Jane Norris , Adam Elliot , Ricci Swart
Stars: Eric Bana , Sarah Snook , Jacki Weaver , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Dominique Pinon , Magda Szubanski
Absolution (2024)
0 /10
An aging ex-boxer gangster working as muscle for a Boston crime boss receives an upsetting diagnosis. Despite a faltering memory, he attempts to rectify the sins of his past and reconnect with his estranged children. He is determined to leave a positive legacy for his grandson, but the criminal underworld isn’t done with him and won’t loosen their grip willingly.
Run Time: 1hr 52` . MMPA: R . Release: 31 Oct 2024
Director: Frankie Ferrari , Daniel Lugo , Kit Conners
Producer: Bill Wingate , Courtney Nowobilski , Michael Besman
Stars: Liam Neeson , Ron Perlman , Daniel Diemer , Frankie Shaw , Yolonda Ross , Omar Moustafa Ghonim